Recognizing Who You Strive to Be in a Well-Known Journalist
(I have been meaning to write this for awhile, so please forgive that it’s not so timely.)
I was trying to figure out why Tim Russert’s death so greatly affected me. Honestly, I was not a devoted fan of “Meet the Press.” Sunday is typically not a TV day for me, and usually it would be about ten minutes before the program ended when I would say, “Oh, I should watch ‘Meet the Press.’”
I knew about Russert’s affection for his dad and his son, and his love for the Buffalo Bills. I also knew he graduated from John Carroll University. From what I saw of him on TV, he seemed like an affable guy with whom you could share a beer or two while learning a lot about politics.
Following his death, I found myself scanning the Internet, reading newspaper articles and watching TV segments that talked about Russert’s life. I was obsessed, as those around me would agree. What I couldn’t get enough of were the accounts of Russert’s religious fervor, his unwavering love for his roots and his indefatigable commitment to his craft.
Delving further into those aspects of his life made me realize how much I had in common with this man, and how I still had a ways to go before I could match his strengths.
Keeping your faith while broadening your horizons is not easy to do, as many will tell you. The thing that has inspired me about Russert is that his faith actually seemed to move him into new territories and protected him from the snares that can so easily trap people. That faith is what took him from Buffalo to Washington but kept his heart in his hometown.
So this partially Catholic-school reared girl from Youngstown, who spent a decade in New York City only to return fairly close to her roots, is inspired to keep broadening her horizons and reaching for the gold. And now I will try to remember to take my faith along with me.
